Woman falls from e-rick, killed by truck

NEW DELHI: A 44-year-old woman was crushed under a mini truck after she fell from an e-rickshaw near Hansraj College in north Delhi, police said on Monday.
The driver allegedly hit the accelerator while the woman, Shivdai, was boarding the vehicle. She was dragged a few metres after which her grip loosened and she fell on the road. A truck coming from behind ran over her.
Her family said Shivdai was suffering from some type of skin disease because of which she needed to see a doctor. After postponing it for some time, she asked her husband Naresh Pal (46) and sister-in-law Maya Devi to take her to Hindu Rao Hospital where she had undergone treatment and made to stay for a day.
She was discharged on Saturday afternoon. After coming out of the hospital, the trio walked for nearly 500 metres before they found an e-rickshaw near Hansraj College in Malkaganj. Naresh and Maya boarded the vehicle first and Shivdai was waiting for her turn. As she was about to board it, the vehicle started moving.
“I grabbed her arm and asked the driver to stop. But before he could react, she fell on the road. A mini truck approaching from behind dragged her a few metres,” said Naresh.
They found her lying in a pool of blood. “She was bleeding profusely. Naresh collapsed on the road seeing his wife’s condition,” said Maya Devi.
Police said they received a call from a passerby after which they reached the spot. The e-rickshaw was impounded, but the truck driver fled along with the vehicle.
Shivdai was rushed to Hindu Rao Hospital again where doctors declared her dead on arrival.
Originally from Bareilly, the family has been staying at a rented accommodation in Majnoo Ka Tila for a month. Police said that the couple had three children—Kareena (7), Shekhar (4) and Anshika (1).
Two rickshaw-pullers who had witnessed the incident said that e-rickshaw drivers often indulged in rash driving.
Police said they are scanning the CCTV footage to ascertain the sequence of events. “A case has been registered for causing death due to negligence. We are trying to nab the truck driver,” said a senior police officer.